


Proximity

by Oddsboddikins



Category: Night In The Woods (Video Game)
Genre: Adventure & Romance, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-04
Updated: 2018-04-04
Packaged: 2019-04-18 04:58:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14205588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oddsboddikins/pseuds/Oddsboddikins
Summary: Life goes on for the inhabitants of Possum Springs, Its people oblivious to the tragedies that had regularly occurred beneath its streets until only a few months prior.  For Mae Borowski and Beatrice Santello, the monotony of normal life after the horrors they had witnessed is its own challenge, and one that they are learning to face in different ways.  Gregg and Angus have begun their new life far away in Bright Harbor, and their absence has left an undeniable hole in each of the girls' lives that they now try to fill for each other.On a cold February day, Bea suggests that they take a short vacation to go visit their friends in Bright Harbor, and Mae readily agrees. They prepare for their long drive out of Deep Hollow County, blissfully unaware that this journey would present yet another terrifying challenge on their road to recovery.





	Proximity

**Author's Note:**

> Howdy everyone! This will be my second NITW fanfic, and probably my first real attempt at writing anything with a romantic undertone. I was inspired by a number of fics here about Bea and Mae in particular, and I wanted to write about how these characters are moving on and experiencing their normal lives after having lived through such traumatic events.

Cold Hard Justice

February fog lay upon the little town of Possum Springs like a thick woolen blanket, cloaking the normally bustling streets in an eerie quietude. Mountains of hard, sooty snow towered along the narrow stretch of asphalt that bisected the town, blocking the windows of its many small shops. Sidewalks usually filled with townsfolk now were mostly empty, save for a few lonely souls on a pilgrimage to the Ol' Pickaxe for a snow shovel or rock salt, and the one or two enigmatic beings who still rented movies from the Video Outpost Too.

Mae Borowski jogged along beside the sidewalk, reveling in the sharp, salty aroma that was Possum Springs in winter. She barely registered the cold as she hopped happily along the tops of the piles of snow, looking down at the town beneath her like the queen of a ruined kingdom. She stopped for a moment, taking in the sights of the center of town.

A few leftover Longest Night lights still blinked lazily along the roofs of several houses, and in the windows of the run-down apartment buildings that crowded the sides of Main Street. Here and there, the tattered remains of colorful posters and ribbons littered the town's old, peeling storefronts and a flat, gray light seemed to hang ominously from the clouds above. It made Mae sad in a distant way. The fog hung thick around around the buildings, and the loneliness of it reminded her of an Autumn day spent among the misty tombstones in Possum Springs Cemetery. She loved the lights, but she couldn't help imagining them as festive dressings on a corpse.

Kind of like a Longest Night tree, I guess, she thought. Geez, that's morbid. I'm starting to sound like Bea...

For a moment, the grin that plastered her lips beneath her scarf almost wavered. The gray, stony clouds loomed over her, pregnant with the snow of a coming storm, as if the sky itself would soon break loose from its holdings and crush the crumbling little town beneath to dust. But she shook herself mentally and continued running along the snowbanks. She was far too excited to allow a little existential dread foul her mood. Not today, she thought. Today was special. Today, she and Bea were going to be driving together out to Bright Harbor to visit Gregg and Angus, and she had been looking forward to this for weeks. Bea was still working, but soon she would be out of work and they could begin the six-hour drive to Bright Harbor.

Admittedly, she was less excited about that last part. But even so, she always enjoyed quality time with Bea, whatever the context. 

She had prepared for their adenture masterfully by saving what money she could to buy the best snacks to sustain them; Gummi Ghosts, Snake Cakes, Choco-Hawks and more sugar-stuffed treats to make the miles fly by. She'd even taken the time to assemble a playlist that would last the whole trip. She'd added most of her favorite music first, of course, though Bea was sure to complain about the abundance of “cringey punk rock,” as she called it. Still, she'd made sure to add at least a few of the slow, crooney jazz pieces that Bea so loved. Everything was perfect, she thought with glee. The only thing left was to meet Bea once she got off work so they could begin their grand expedition. 

As she leapt from her perch to the sidewalk several feet below, the Ol' Pickaxe came into view. The outside was devoid of activity, but as Mae rounded the corner of the old hardware store, she saw a rather large group of people waiting patiently in front of the counter. Beatrice Santello stood behind the shop's old-fashioned cash register, her features stretched in a tight, patient grin carved into place by years of customer service. As Mae pushed open the door, triggering the little entry bell, Bea glanced briefly in her direction, and for that moment, Mae saw something genuine in her smile. 

Bea turned back to the customer before her, taking a small, steadying breath.

“I understand, sir, that you can pay three dollars less for rock salt in Briddle.” Bea's voice mimicked the perpetually saccharine, pre-recorded drone of an insurance telemarketer. “I apologize, but I cannot lower the price for you here.”

The man to whom she spoke was a gruff, middle-aged crocodile who looked as though he'd spent most of his life training to win an Olympic medal in scowling.

“Well if that's the case, then why the hell don't I just drive out to Briddle?!” He boomed, throwing his hands in the air in a violent shrug. “What the hell do I need your shitty, overpriced rock salt for if you're gonna charge me an arm and a leg for it?”

Bea's smile did not outwardly change, but Mae had known her long enough to detect the rising temper in the girl's expression.

“Sir, you are welcome to shop wherever you please. I am sorry for the inconvenience, but I hope you will consider doing business here in the future,” she said evenly.

The man barked in something halfway between a growl and a laugh, and to Mae's utter disgust, spat on the counter. 

“Fat chance! Fuckin' ridiculous I be expected to pay the prices here for any of this garbage.” Mae had to jump out of the way as the man suddenly turned, stomping heavily through the space in which she had just been standing. “Goddamn kids have no respect. No way to run a business...” 

The entry bell jingled pathetically as the man stormed out of the store, slamming the door behind him. For a few moments, the room was filled with an acutely uncomfortable silence.

“I can help the next person here.”

Mae flinched. She could feel the weariness in that voice.

“Hey BeaBea!” the sudden volume of Mae's voice made Bea jump slightly. “I'll wait outside, okay?”

Bea simply nodded in her direction, her gaze not drifting from the next customer in line.

Mae flashed a toothy grin toward Bea nonetheless, and turned about on her heel, her fur immediately bristling with rage. She stomped outside, being careful to close the door as quietly as possible. She bolted around the corner, scanning the sidewalk in either direction before she caught sight of what she was looking for.

“HEY! ASSHOLE!”

The hulking crocodile didn't respond, still angrily huffing down the hill.

“Oh, no you don't-”

Mae leaped onto a snow bank, scooping a handful of the hard, filthy snow into a ball in one deft motion. She sprinted toward the man, readying the snowball in one tightly clenched fist.

“I'm talking to you, shithead! Don't effing ignore me!”

This seemed to get his attention. Probably because Mae was almost on top of him by this point. He turned sluggishly around to face Mae, still wearing that stony scowl.

“I've got your rock salt RIGHT HERE!” Mae howled, leaping into the air.

In a perfect shot refined by years of intense snowball fights with Casey and Gregg, she spiked her weapon directly between his eyes with a wet, satisfying PAFF, crusting the wrinkles of his face in icy days-old street muck. The man stumbled, apparently stunned by the sudden attack. He simply stood there, his mouth flapping uselessly as his brain tried to process the sheer blistering rage he felt at what had just been done to him. 

Mae smiled to herself in profound sadistic glee as she watched her attack hit home, and for a moment, she felt nothing but the sweet taste of justice. She then tasted a horrible combination of garbage and snow as she crashed into a dustbin that had been standing beside the man on the sidewalk.

Shit. Gotta watch where I jump next time.

The man roared with fury, blearily blinking the dirt and snow from his vision. He rounded this way and that, searching for the uppity little girl that had just pelted him. Mae scrambled to her feet, sprinting away back toward the Ol' Pickaxe. As she passed him, the man swung at her and missed, screaming in frustration.

“You little SHIT! I'm gonna rip yer fuckin' ears off!”

“Why so salty, my dude?” Mae taunted behind her as she ran. She turned up the hill, already hearing the heavy pounding of the man's boots as he chased her. She thrust her hand into the snowbank to her left, whirling around and landing another snowball directly on the end of his snout. He cursed at the top of his lungs through teeth full of dirt, scrambling blindly after her.

Me laughed to herself, relishing the cold air that stung at her insides. It had been the first time in months she had done something remotely illegal, and she couldn't deny how wonderful it felt. Mae's mind sparked with sudden inspiration as she pictured herself as a vigliante, doling out cold street justice to all those who would dare oppose her and her expert snowball marksmanship.

I could be called the Cold Shoulder, maybe, Mae thought. She cackled gleefully to herself as she darted nimbly from snowbank to fence to mailbox and back, deftly maintaining her distance. Nah, too punny. The Slushinator! Or maybe the Ice Queen!

Mae spun about, running backwards as she once again plunged her hand into a nearby snow pile for more ammunition. She aimed carefully, holding her weapon high in the air as she readied the next perfect strike.

But Mae's shot went wide as she collided with something tall, sturdy and made of meat. Her legs flailed uselessly beneath her as she rebounded, falling flat on her face and sliding painfully forward on the slush-greased sidewalk. She spun about, teeth bared, already preparing another dirtball to hurl at the fool who dared to interrupt her battle for justice.

“Eat snow, ya filth...y....”

“I wouldn't.”

“Oh...”

“Yup.”

“I wouldn't, either.”

“Hello, Mae.”

“Hi, Aunt Mall Cop.”

Molly stared down at her niece with a tired indifference. She then turned her gaze up the sidewalk, looking knowingly at the enraged man rapidly closing the distance between them, and released a heavy, resigning sigh.

“Oops”

“Uh-huh.”

“I'm probably under arrest now, huh?

“It's possible.” 

Her aunt's expression did not change, leaving Mae to wonder just how serious she was being. With some reluctance, Molly reached down to Mae with one muscled arm, her open hand stopping just in front of the smaller cat.

“Up.”

Mae simply stared at the proffered hand, suddenly feeling a lot less confident and a lot more in trouble. She could hear the crocodile behind her approaching at an alarming rate. Molly, however, was apparently out of patience, and grabbed Mae's arm, lifting her forcibly to a standing position just as the man reached them.

“AHA!” he bellowed, jabbing one twisted, clawed finger in Mae's face as he skidded clumsily to a halt. “That's what you get, you little delinquent!” He wheezed, leaning heavily on his knees, wearing a grin so smug, Mae wanted nothing more than to push it into oncoming traffic. 

“I'm glad to see my tax dollars are good for something in this shithole of a town. Arrest this brat!”

Molly was completely unfazed by the man's passionate accusation, and Mae could see her settling into what she internally referred to as her “Cop Stance.” Her Aunt met the crocodile's eyes with a firm, authoritative coldness.

“Now hold on, sir. I need to know what Mae is supposed to be arrested for,” Molly replied plainly.

Mae tried to wrench her arm free, but her aunt seemed to have the finger strength of someone who carried cinderblocks around all day. She fixed Mae with a warning glare before returning to the heaving man in front of them. For his part, he didn't seem to have fully heard what Molly had said. He gesticulated wildly with one hand, his other still supporting his hefty weight on one knee.

“Oh you know her, huh? Pfeh! Hardly surprising. Little shit probably gets arrested all the time!”

“Mr. Miller, please. Tell me what Mae has done to upset you, and we can move on from there.”

He grinned , glaring nastily at Mae.

“This monster beaned me in the head with a rock! Coulda killed me!” 

“EXCUSE ME?!” Mae shrieked, trying once more in vain to break free so she could punch the man in his stupid smiling face. “You wish it was a rock! Maybe it would have prettified your ugly mug!

“Hey!” Molly's tone was commanding enough to pull all of the fire out of Mae's body and leave her silently glaring at the ground. “Mae...” Molly began again, her voice softer but still firm enough to imply that her question was not a request. “Tell me exactly what happened. Is this true?”

The man didn't give her a chance to answer. He lunged forward, now threateningly close to both of them. 

“Are you stupid?! Don't listen to her! Don't you know who she is?”

“Mr. Miller, I-” 

“She done it before! Beat the brains out of some poor kid over nothin'! You remember! Everybody does!”

"Oh, screw you, dude."

“Mae, enough. Now, sir-”

“And now she's gone after me! How soon, huh? How soon until somebody else gets hospitalized or killed by this little psycho-”

“SIR!”

Molly barked at the man, causing him to take a step back. 

“I have heard your side of the story, and I am well aware of who I'm dealing with here. I will decide how to handle this after Mae has had her say, and that's final.”

She stared him down, as if to test him, to see if he would dare interrupt them again, and to his credit, he stayed quiet this time. He seethed and snarled, but even his anger quailed before Molly's implied wrath. The same wrath that now turned mercilessly to Mae.

“Mae. The truth. Now.”

Mae shrank impotently under that glare, suddenly feeling much smaller than normal. She wanted desperately to shrink into one of the many cracks in the sidewalk and slip away from her aunt and this horrible screaming man. Molly jerked her arm; not enough to hurt, but enough to drive her point across.

“HesanassholeanIthrewasnowball...” Mae mumbled into her chest.

“Mae.”

“He's an asshole! So I hit him with a snowball, not a rock! Geez...”

Molly offered a noncommital grunt before turning back to the seething crocodile.

“Sir, are you certain it was a rock? You do not seem to have sustained any injuries. May I take a closer look? Or shall I call an ambulance for you?”

“YES OF COURSE I'M SURE! And no! You can keep your mitts off me. Just do your job by throwing that kid in jail!”

“Mr. Miller, please calm-”

“NOW YOU LISTEN TO ME!” The man's anger had pushed him to the point that even Molly's practiced glare couldn't dissuade him. He thrust his face forward so that he was mere inches away, screaming and spitting at each of them in turn. “She's a killer, that one! You're a cop! You should know all about her! Ain't nobody round here who don't remember what she done! One of these days, some poor sucker is gonna end up dead because you lot didn't lock her up in the looney bin where she belongs!

Whether it was out of instinct or whether Molly could actually feel the white-hot indignation radiating from her, Mae wasn't sure, but she felt her aunt's fingers give her arm a surprisingly gentle squeeze. Molly glanced down at the smaller cat with an almost invisble shake of her head, asking silently that she keep her mouth shut, just this once, and Mae reluctantly ground her teeth in silence. When her aunt turned back to the man, there was a distinctly hard edge to her voice. 

“Sir, I cannot ensure your safety if you refuse to seek medical attention.”

“IDIOT! I don't need a damn doctor! I need to see that urchin in cuffs!”

“I will see that Mae is disciplined for her actions, sir. But I need to ascertain whether you are injured, first. Please allow me to-”

“ASCERTAIN MY BOOT IN YER ASS!”

“Sir, as an officer of the law, I do not condone threats to my person. I must ask that you calm-”

“I AM CALM, you stupid COW!” 

In a swift, practiced motion, Molly's free hand leaped to the police radio fastened to her belt, She did not speak, but only stared calmly at the fuming crocodile, whose eyes had followed her movement and were now suddenly wide with dawning comprehension. He stepped backward, his teeth still bared in an audible hiss. They stood like this for some time, with Mae nervously glancing between them.

“Fine...” The man growled. “Fine, yeah, I get it. Sorry, officer, guess I got carried away.”

Molly's hand did not move.

"Do you require medical attention?"

"No! I'm fine. Just see to it that that little brat gets what she deserves, yeah?”

“I will do my job, sir. You can be sure of that.”

“Good! Good...” The man took a moment to fix one last acid glare on Mae before turning slowly about, shuffling angrily away from them down the street. Mae thrust both middle fingers in his direction as he retreated, earning another chiding arm-jerk. He ranted to himself as he stalked off, spouting about “incompetent cops” and “stupid kids ruining the town,” his language peppered with all manner of colorful expletives that faded from hearing as he drew away down the hill. 

“...Jackass,” Molly muttered.

Mae gaped up at her aunt, abruptly shaken from her angry stupor.

“Whoa.”

“What?”

“Just uh...never heard you swear before. Are cops even allowed to swear?”

“We can if someone is being a jackass.” Her aunt deadpanned. She shrugged, her fingers finally releasing their grip from Mae's arm, who quickly pulled away. "Speaking of which..." Molly placed her hands on her hips as she frowned critically down at her niece. "What possessed you to try and tick off someone like him?"

Mae's mood instantly soured again, the crocodile's words suddenly echoing in her thoughts with cruel, sustained volume.

"It was nothing. Just stupid shit."

"Nuh-uh, kiddo. You're not getting off that easy."

"Why do you care?"

"I know you, Mae. You've got a talent for getting into mischief, but you don't just go around harassing people for no reason. Not intentionally, anyway."

"I dunno, I can see me doing that."

"Mm-hmm."

"Like I said, he acted like an asshole. You just got front row-tickets to that show."

"Sure, but you can't start snowballing people just because you don't like them, Mae."

"Since when is there a law against that?"

"Since I said so."

"Typical cop answer."

"Mae."

"Molly."

"Mae, I'm really not in the mood. Just tell me if he threatened you or not."

"Ha. Dumbass couldn't hurt me if he tried." Mae scowled at her feet, kicking at a particularly large clump of salt and snow. "But he was a weapons-grade jerk to Bea, and It just made me mad. What's the big deal?"

"What did he say? Is Bea alright?"

"She'd be better if you'd let me go talk to her instead of giving me the fifth degree."

"Third."

"What?"

"Nevermind. Is she?"

"Yeah, she's fine. Just dealing with a lot of stress, and then this guy yelled at her over something stupid that wasn't even her fault. Geez. Are we done yet?"

"Almost. I'm sorry to hear that he was rude to Bea. Some people are just jerks. All the same, Mae, I didn't take that verbal lashing just now because I enjoyed it. Please don't do this again."

"So, what, I'm the jackass now?!" Mae threw her arms in the air in frustration. "Well, geez! If you're so worried about it, why don't you just get it over with and arrest me then? That's what he wanted, right?!"

Molly sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. It seemed to be something she had an old habit of doing, judging by the pronounced cluster of wrinkles between her eyes. Mae wondered distantly how much of that was her fault. 

""Mae, I'm not going to arrest you. And that's not what I meant. I'm sorry if that's the message I sent there. Look..."

Molly knelt down on one knee so that she was at eye level, fixing Mae with a look that she couldn't quite place.

"I favored your story over his, Mae, because of what he said. As a police officer, I'm not supposed to do that, regardless of how rude someone is. God knows I should drag you down to the station right now if you actually did throw a rock at him. But I don't think you would do something that stupid. Was I wrong?"

"...No. Even if that's what he deserved."

"That's not up to you. But it's beside the point." Molly's features softened slightly. "He had no right to say what he did about you, Mae. No matter what happened years ago, you don't deserve to be treated like that."

Mae opened her mouth to offer her scathing retort, but the words sank away before she could give them sound. That had not at all been what she'd expected to hear from someone like her own Aunt Mall Cop. Without warning, she found herself feeling rather patronized and ashamed, like a child who needs something that should be obvious explained to them. 

"...Oh."

Mae's eyes drifted back down to the sidewalk, her hands stuffed firmly in her pockets.

"Um. Wow. Thanks?"

"For what?

"I dunno, just... That's actually really nice of you to say. Guess I wasn't expecting it."

"Believe it or not, kiddo, I don't just keep an eye on you for the fun of it." 

Mae simply grunted a half laugh, cocking one eyebrow. 

"It's the truth." Molly's face hardened once more into her typical stony police-mode frown. "But still, if I'm gonna stick up for you, you've gotta do your part, too. All I'm asking is that you don't needlessly antagonize people who are obviously jerks. Okay?"

"Yeah. That's fair I guess."

"Good." Molly nodded, visibly relaxing. "So, now that that's settled, what are you up to today?"

Mae groaned.

"Seriously? I thought we were done with the questions?"

"I'm not asking as a cop, Mae. I'm just curious. Haven't talked to you or your mom in a while."

Mae hummed. She still wasn't quite sure how she felt about this side of aunt Molly.

“Eh. Taking a trip with Bea to visit some friends in Bright Harbor.”

“When are you leaving? It had better be soon if you're going to beat the storm.”

“Bea's getting off work any minute. Was gonna leave right after, so we should have plenty of time. That's what Bea said, anyway.”

“Hm. Long as you two stay safe. Walk with me.” Molly began walking at a slow, leisurely pace back in the direction of the Ol' Pickaxe, and Mae followed behind on the top of the nearby snowbank. Despite her slow, easy gait, Molly was considerably taller than Mae, and Mae had to power walk to keep up.

“What about your folks? How are they doing?”

“They're good, I guess. Same as ever, really. Mom's up at the church. Dad's at Ham Panther. Nothing much has changed.”

“Well, there's something to be said for a sense of normalcy. Even if it does get tedious now and then.”

“That's....weirdly existential, coming from you.”

“There's been a lot of weirdness going on lately. In my line of work, you've got to appreciate the slow days while you can.”

Mae paused at that. Molly was right. Over the past few months, ever since Autumn of last year, the blue and white cruisers of the Possum Springs police department could be seen patrolling the streets at all hours of the day and night. There were even units from Briddle and Kittiehawk, some parked on street corners, some driving along the country roads that filled the woods around town. Even if no one really talked about it, everyone could feel the odd tension in the air, like the ocean before a tidal wave.

“Huh. You're talking about the... um. The disappearances, right?”

“Yes, Mae.”

“How, um. I mean, do you... How is that going? Have they...found anyone?”

Molly sighed in a weary, distant way. Her expression told Mae that she'd had to answer that same question countless times already.

“No. Not a whiff.”

“Oh...I'm sorry to hear that.”

“Me, too, Mae. I know you were close, but there's still been no sign of him. Granted, that might just mean he's doing fine somewhere else.”

“...He?”

Molly shot an odd glance in Mae's direction.

 

“I'm saying he might have just hopped a train, like you thought. Too bad he didn't tell anyone first, then we could at least be sure. Either way, we're still looking, Mae. I'll let you know if we find anything, I promise.”

“OH! Oh...that's...yeah. That's good. Thanks.”

“Mm.” Molly nodded solemnly, absently fixing her hat with one hand.

“It is a bit strange that it happened so close to the others. I'm just thankful nobody else has vanished since September. It doesn't make any sense. Town Select Board Members. Store managers. Half of the staff of the historical society. All gone without a trace.”

“Yeah, that's...pretty spooky, huh.”

“Like I said. Appreciate normal while it lasts.”

Mae said nothing, frowning down at the crunchy snow beneath her boots.

“Sorry.” Molly consciously straightened her posture. “Not my place to vent about work. Certainly not to kids like you.”

“I'm not a kid.”

“Right. You're just an adult who still gets into snowball fights.”

“You've got to find fun where you can.”

“Hm.”

The two cats came to a halt as they rounded the storefront of the Ol' Pickaxe, where Mae hopped down onto the sidewalk next to her aunt. Behind the store's massive display window, she could see Bea tidying up, closing the cash register with a bit too much force as she stalked away from the service counter. She grabbed a thick winter coat from the nearby rack and drew a hefty ring of several dozen keys from her pocket as she opened the door to the street.

“Hey, Bea!”

Bea jumped, nearly dropping her keys. She shot an annoyed look in Mae's direction before her eyes came to rest on the figure next to her.

“Oh, no.” Bea's voice drawled in a tired deadpan. “What did Mae do?”

“Oof. Under the bus, Bea.”

“Mae assaulted a pedestrian with a snowball.”

Bea simply stared in consternation at the two of them for a moment. Then, without warning, she loosed an inelegant snort of laughter. She seemed to catch herself in the presence of Molly, however, and tried with some difficulty to maintain a facade of impartiality.

“I see. How much can I expect to pay for bail?”

“No bail this time, Beatrice. Just keep an eye on her for me, okay?”

“Will do, Officer.”

“Beatrice, nooo.”

“So I hear you two are off to Bright Harbor?”

“That's the plan.” Bea paused to turn behind her and lock the door to the Ol'Pickaxe, testing the knob with one hand. “Leaving a little later than I wanted, but it's the busy season, and everybody's going nuts stocking up for the storm. We should still be ahead of it, though.”

“Long as you're sure. You gonna be away for long?”

“Just the weekend.” Bea fiddled about in her pockets, extracting a box of her favorite brand of cigarettes. She withdrew the last one with a sour expression, shoving the empty carton back inside her coat.

“That reminds me. I gotta stop by the Snack Falcon before we leave.”

“Kid your age shouldn't be smoking, you know.”

Bea made an odd, bitter noise, like a laugh but without a trace of mirth.

“Kid my age shouldn't have to deal with a lot of things. I'm gonna need to smoke if I'm going to stay sane after the month I've had.”

“Hm. Mae told me you had a particularly difficult customer. Everything alright?”

“Fine.” Bea lit her last cigarette, taking a long, greedy draw and relishing the taste of the smoke in her mouth for several seconds. She sighed, the smoke issuing from her nostrils in thin, snaking tendrils. “Nothing out of the ordinary, anyway. Just another day at the grind.”

“I don't just mean at work, Bea. How are things at home?”

“Fine.” Bea mechanically replied. “Why do you ask?”

Molly frowned, apparently unsure how to answer. She seemed to want to press the issue, but apparently decided against it.

“Just wondering. I've been busy too, but I like to keep tabs on folks. See how they're doing.”

“Well, thanks. Everything's just dandy over here.” Bea replied curtly, extending one arm to check her watch. “Sorry, Officer Molly, but we really have to rush. I was originally hoping to be on the road in about ten minutes.”

Molly nodded. She shot an odd look in Mae's direction that Mae couldn't quite place.

“In that case, I will leave you in Bea's care, Mae. Stay safe, you two.”

With a lazy tip of her hat, Molly strolled slowly away, making her way toward the suburb at the bottom of the hill. Mae watched her as she left, still thinking about the conversation they had just shared.

“You ready?”

Mae jumped, having momentarily forgotten why she was standing outside the Pickaxe.

“Hells YEAH!” Mae threw her arms in the air. “I was born ready!”

“No, seriously, you've got everything packed? Where's your bag?”

“At home, duh.”

One of Bea's eyebrows rose slowly skyward.

“What, you came by just to say hi?”

“And to defend your honor.”

“What?”

“That asshole who was yelling about rock salt. I followed him down the street and nailed him with a snowball, right in the face. Twice. Would have been more, but then I ran into Aunt Mall Cop.”

Mae made her best effort to reenact the perfect technique with which she had attacked the man, complete with sound effects. Beatrice simply stared at her with a look that made it seem as though she was having trouble deciding whether she wanted to hug her friend or strike her own forehead in frustration.

“Mae...thanks. You didn't have to do that.”

“Nah, dude. Guy had it coming. It was, like, my karmic duty.”

“Mae Borowski, Messenger of Justice”

“I go where I'm needed.”

“Well right now, you're needed back at home with your stuff. I've gotta run to the Falcon for some cigarettes, and I'll be by your house to pick you up in fifteen minutes. Got it?”

“Affirmative, commander!” 

“Seriously. Go. 15 minutes.”

“Justice Messenger Borowski awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!”

Mae leaped back onto the snowbank, sprinting down the hill with both arms extended like wings at her sides. Bea simply watched her go, her mouth twitching into the tiniest of grins before turning in the opposite direction and striding briskly toward the convenience store. Through the fog, a police siren wailed, mixing with the sound of the passing trains in the distance and the crunch of snow under two pairs of boots. As the two friends faded into the mist, the eerie stillness of winter fell upon the town once more.


End file.
